Fatal Pursuit Reviews

Completed in 1994 but largely unseen until its home video release in 1998, FATAL PURSUIT is a substandard erotic thriller marred by bad acting and worse dialogue. Jill Winters (Shannon Whirry), a British insurance investigator, is sent to New Orleans on assignment, where she is paired with local private eye Deghy (L.P. Brown III). Their mission is to recover a multimillion dollar stash of diamonds stolen in a bloody desert heist. Jill and Deghy clash instantly due to their contrasting natures--she is straitlaced and proper, while he is rough-hewn and randy. But their working relationship draws them closer together and before long, they become lovers. Their investigation is impeded by police detective Gersi (Larry Manetti), who is covering up evidence because he's accepting bribes from the mastermind of the robbery, Bechtel (Malcolm McDowell). Deghy blackmails a con, Shelby (Larry Linville), into turning over evidence that implicates Bechtel. He then breaks into Bechtel's safe and retrieves the diamonds. But when he tries to collect his finder's fee from the insurance company, he learns that due to the death of the gems' rightful owner, the policy cannot be collected upon. Deghy decides to steal the diamonds for himself. Bechtel and Gersi are apprehended, while Deghy and Jill abscond to a cozy cabin with the loot. FATAL PURSUIT was filmed on location in New Orleans (where the story is set) and features a lively Cajun score. The upbeat music underscores the campiness of the dialogue. The complicated plot doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Many clues are revealed in throwaway lines and some plot elements are never explained. The script features too many incidental characters to keep track of. But the disposition of the diamonds is just the flimsy premise around which the film contrives abundant opportunities to show Whirry being disrobed, either intentionally or accidentally. The action scenes are adequate, but one too-perfectly choreographed barroom brawl comes off more like a hoedown. The cast doesn't seem to be in agreement on how to treat their material. Brown, McDowell, and Whirry ham it up, while Manetti and Obba Babatunde (as Jill's supervisor) play it straight and serious. (Violence, extensive nudity, sexual situations, adult situations, profanity.)